199 Bridge Street, Nelson
View on mapAkarangi | Quality Evaluation evaluates the extent to which this early childhood service has the learning and organisational conditions to support equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. Te Ara Poutama- indicators of quality for early childhood education: what matters most (PDF 3.01MB) are the basis for making judgements about the effectiveness of the service in achieving equity and excellence for all learners. The Akarangi Quality Evaluation Judgement Rubric (PDF 91.30KB) derived from the indicators, is used to inform the ERO’s judgements about this service’s performance in promoting equity and excellence.
ERO’s judgements for Bridge Street Early Learning Centre are as follows:
Outcome Indicators |
ERO’s judgement |
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What the service knows about outcomes for learners |
Whāngai Establishing |
Ngā Akatoro Domains |
ERO’s judgement |
|
He Whāriki Motuhake The learner and their learning |
Whāngai Establishing |
|
Whakangungu Ngaio Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Ngā Aronga Whai Hua Evaluation for improvement |
Whakaū Embedding |
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Kaihautū Leaders foster collaboration and improvement |
Whāngai Establishing |
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Te Whakaruruhau Stewardship through effective governance and management |
Whakaū Embedding |
Bridge Street Early Learning Centre is a community-based, not-for-profit early childhood service. The centre is governed by a parent-elected board. Nelson Tasman Kindergartens Association provides operational and professional support to the service. Children and families are from increasingly diverse cultures.
Kaiako effectively work alongside tamariki supporting and extending their learning and development. They are responsive to tamariki individual needs and interests, encouraging their full participation in the programme. A calm and unhurried pace is sustained in the infant and toddler area which promotes wellbeing, thought and curiosity. This allows younger tamariki the space and time to lead their learning.
Transitions to school are well supported for tamariki and their whānau. An established process is in place and useful information is shared between whānau, the service and school.
Kaiako are developing the cultural competence that enables them to provide a responsive curriculum for all tamariki. Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are well integrated into daily teaching practice. Tamariki, with kaiako and whānau take responsibility for addressing issues of sustainability and local citizenship as kaitiaki of the land and environments.
The teaching team use the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, when documenting children’s progress, however, use of the outcomes is variable. Kaiako gather information about tamariki learning and development to support planning. Acknowledgment of children’s languages, cultures and identities in assessment documentation requires strengthening.
Internal evaluation is well led. There is a clear framework in place that guides the evaluative process and generates timely information to guide ongoing improvements to teaching and learning.
The board and management promote a positive working environment which is conductive to the building and sustaining of good relationships and low staff turnover. They ensure teachers have access to quality professional learning and development that responds to recognised needs. The service has sought feedback from whānau to inform the vision, goals and learning priorities. Further consultation with whānau to review the philosophy is yet to be completed. The board could know more about the impact of its decision making on outcomes for children.
Bridge Street Early Learning Centre will include the following actions in its Quality Improvement Planning:
Before the review, the staff and management of Bridge Street Early Learning Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
28 June 2021
| Early Childhood Service Name | Bridge Street Early Learning Centre |
| Profile Number | 65408 |
| Location | Nelson |
|
Service type |
Education and care service |
|
Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 10 aged under 2. |
|
Percentage of qualified teachers |
80%+ |
|
Service roll |
58 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 3, NZ European/Pākehā 45, Other ethnic groups 10. |
|
Review team on site |
April 2021 |
|
Date of this report |
28 June 2021 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review, November 2016; Education Review, July 2013. |
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Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Bridge Street Early Learning Centre is well placed to provide positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Bridge Street Early Learning Centre is a community-based, not for profit, early childhood service located in the centre of Nelson. It has contracted Nelson Tasman Kindergartens for managerial, financial and professional support and guidance for a number of years. The centre is governed by a parent-elected board who bring a range of experiences and professional expertise to their roles.
The long-serving leadership team and staff are mostly qualified and registered teachers. They provide care and education for infants, toddlers and young children from an increasingly diverse range of cultures.
The centre philosophy gives emphasis to the child as the heart of the family and the centre being the bridge between the home environment and the wider world.
Since the 2013 ERO review, centre leaders and teachers have developed and implemented a systematic approach to self review. This includes an audit process to monitor and improve the quality of assessment of and for children's learning.
Centre leaders and teachers actively foster positive and reciprocal relationships with children, parents and whānau. The languages, cultures and identities of children and their families are respected and valued.
Teachers actively seek parent aspirations and contributions to their children's learning. They make useful links between children's interests at home and at the centre. This helps to build partnerships with parents to support children’s learning and wellbeing. Parents are well informed about their children’s interests and participation in the programme through personalised and informative learning stories.
Teachers are responsive to individual children’s interest, strengths and capabilities. They work closely with children and families to help them develop a good sense of belonging. Transitions into the centre and between learning areas are well planned and focused on the needs of the child. Teachers share specific information with parents and develop a considered and planned approach to help children make a positive transition to school. They have established professional relationships with local schools to support these processes.
Children's oral language development is well supported by teachers who listen carefully to children and involve them in learning conversations. Teachers integrate music, literacy and numeracy experiences into the curriculum in ways that are meaningful and enjoyable for children. They make good use of the environment and equipment to create physical challenges for children to master.
Children are encouraged to care for the environment and for others. Children play well with and alongside their peers, sharing ideas and developing friendships. Visitors to the centre and visits into the local community enrich the learning programme provided for children.
The wellbeing of infants and toddlers is actively promoted within a small-group setting. Responsive and consistent care giving supports infants’ and toddlers’ need for secure attachments. Predictable, child-paced routines provide children with time to explore and make their own discoveries. Teachers share a philosophy and ways of working with children that promotes respectful interactions and freedom of movement for children.
The board and leaders, with the support of the kindergartens' advisors, have a systematic and collaborative approach to strategic planning and self review. These processes are well aligned to the centre philosophy and mission statement.
Leaders promote a distributive leadership model that values and makes good use of teacher strengths and creates a collaborative team culture. Clear self-review processes encourage reflective and evaluative practices. The provision of targeted professional development has had a positive impact on teaching practices, such as the increasing awareness of bicultural perspectives.
The board and leadership team regularly monitor the centre's strategic goals and annual objectives. They make good use of self review to evaluate the effectiveness of their own performance as a board.
ERO and centre leaders agree that the key next steps are to:
strengthen assessment, planning and evaluation
build self-review capability among the teaching team and embed the new appraisal processes.
Leaders have identified, and ERO agrees, that the centre continue to give prominence to bicultural perspectives in centre documentation and practices.
Before the review, the staff and management of Bridge Street Early Learning Centre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
curriculum
premises and facilities
health and safety practices
governance, management and administration.
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Bridge Street Early Learning Centre will be in three years.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Te Waipounamu/Southern
2 November 2016
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Nelson |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
65408 |
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Licence type |
Education & Care Service |
||
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
40 children, including up to 10 aged under two |
||
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Service roll |
56 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 30; Girls 26 |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Asian Cook Island Other ethnicities |
6 44 3 1 5 |
|
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Percentage of qualified teachers 0-49% 50-79% 80%+Based on funding rates |
80% + |
||
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Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:4 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:8 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
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Review team on site |
September 2016 |
||
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Date of this report |
2 November 2016 |
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Most recent ERO reports |
Education Review |
July 2013 |
|
|
Education Review |
March 2010 |
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|
Education Review |
November 2006 |
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ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.